At first I had high hopes for Perfect Weapon. It looked great, and though It was a beta version, the control seemed like It was going places. Now I've played the final version, and I have to admit that I'm a little let down. The rendered backgrounds are breathtaking but are completely still--no moving water or blowing trees. There are also some break-up problems with the objects in the foreground. The changing camera views aren't always set well either. On the good side, the attacks and combos really let you lee the hurt. There's a huge variety of enemies, but their sound effects, though funny, are irritating after awhile.

7.0

Perfect Weapon's backgrounds and animation were supposed to be top-notch-and they are. Hie music was supposed be Incredible--and it is. Hie gameplay was supposed to kick butt-and...it didn't quite make par. After you get used to the controls (which will take a little bit), you'll find that the game Is very sluggish. Walking, or even running, around the levels is a pain. The combat Is awesome with its multitude of moves and combos but is difficult at the same time with the poor controls. Finally, there were problems with the collision mapping and dipping (just some minor polygon break-up). PW is a great game...with flaws.

6.5

The premise behind this game is awesome (it's a 3-D version of Final Fight, with a ton of Tekken 2-style moves thrown in), but PW just doesn't live up to Its potential. The game often crawls along, with you moving at much-less-than-breakneck speed from fight to fight. And while the cindered backgrounds are pretty, they're not animated and the character rarely Interacts with them. It takes a long time to get used to the controls, too. On the plus side, your character can use more than 100 moves on the bad guys (he learns new ones as he progresses through the game). Also, the levels are enormous and hide a few secrets.

7.0

Whoa, a new approach to a fighting game. I found the 3-D realism and the moves really appealing. The graphics are clean as are the sounds and the control. These factors affect play, making it show real promise. The enemies as well as the attacking animals In many of the stages bring out the realistic feel. Years from now when action/fighting games advance to a higher level, I feel gamers will be able to look back and find Hits game at their roots. It's not perfect, but it Is a step In the right direction to bring a new style of game into the market. This one should be tried just for its uniqueness.

reggie posted a review.

Overall rating: 7

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Game Reviews

What do you get when you mix Resident Evil with Tekken 2 (with a splash of Final Fight for flavor)? You get Perfect Weapon. American Softworks Corporation (ASC) in conjunction with Gray Matter Inc. (the developers) is bringing to the PlayStation a game that covers a myriad of video game genres, and yet, cannot be defined as belonging to any one of them.

Perfect Weapon has exploration and puzzle elements similar to those of Resident Evil and Time Commando. When enemies are encountered the focus is shifted to combat. You could be fighting a group of enemies who surround you, like Final Fight games but in 3-D. The attacks are not confined, however, to simple punches and kicks. The controls during fighting are very much like that of the Tekken games: independent left and right punches and kicks. Also like Tekken, many combos and throws are available. All together, you can perform over 100 martial arts moves which are derived from a multitude of real-life fighting styles, like praying mantis, drunken monkey and kickboxing.

This attention to fighting details is unprecedented. Sure, many one-on-one fighting games may have more moves. However, when's the last time, you've played an adventure game with the fighting depth that even compares to Tekken? Not every move will be initially available. You'll have to advance through the game and fight the enemies that possess the different fighting styles.

The alien foes you will face are among the most challenging seen in any type of game. Up to 20 different species will inhabit the different levels. Each enemy is rendered in realtime and will fight you from any angle. Each race also has a distinct fighting technique. Some tend to throw, others like to punch. You'll be truly impressed with the artificial intelligence (see sidebar) when you are surrounded by five goons, all of whom are sitting back, waiting for the right moment to attack in unison.

These aliens inhabit five distinctly different worlds: desert, ice, forest, Chinese garden and industrial cyberhell. These levels are all beautifully prerendered and show off amazing details and light sourcing. ASC is boasting that when PW is completed, it will contain 1100 to 1300 tion of those are actually the same locations viewed at different angles]. And to complement the looks will be the soundtrack. Each level's music is amazingly ambient, moody and exciting.

Why are you (playing the part of Commander Blake Hunter) running around alien worlds in the first place? It seems this evil alien fiend thinks of you as Earth's best combatant. He kidnaps you to put you through a test of survival in order to study you. His end plan is to have you become a Perfect Weapon, so that he could take those instincts and skills from you. Flattering that he thinks so highly of you, isn't it? Your job then, is to find your way out of this mess and get home.

ASC is so confident that Perfect Weapon will sit well with gamers, that a sequel named Final Weapon is already being planned. Meanwhile, PlayStation owners can look forward to seeing this truly ambitious title in November (with the Saturn version being released first quarter 1997).

MANUFACTURER - ASC

DIFFICULTY - Moderate

THEME - Action

NUMBER OF PLAYERS - 1

reggie posted a review.

Overall rating: 7.5

American Softworks is scheduled to dehut their latest fighling/action game in November. Unlike more common fighting games that feature a one-on-one fight with another opponent, their system uses what they call Behavioral Artificial Intelligence or BAI. This new Al gives Perfect Weapon a true 3-D fighting game that features four relentless alien attackers swarming the character at the same time. The attackers work as a team against the player instead of just lining up individually. Perfect Weapon gives players five hostile worlds filled with over 1,100 3-D locations to explore. There are also 20 different alien life-forms to battle while using any combination of the 100+ martial arts moves included in the combatant's hook of tricks. Some of the styles encountered in the title are mantis, drunkin' monkey and kickboxing with over-the-top, multiplayer grapples. All these features accent the action of the title, but there is also plenty of beautifully rendered graphics and tons of FMV to enjoy for the player looking to be entertained between combat rounds.